Five-year mark gives me pause

I will have been here five years as of Feb. 3. It was Super Bowl Sunday that day, too, and there was A LOT of snow on the ground!

I drove from La Junta, Colorado that day, but it didn't start getting snowy until I passed through Alamosa. Then, by the time I got to La Veta Pass, and then came over Wolf Creek Pass, it was snowing so hard I could hardly see.

I didn't stop though, because I was afraid I'd get stuck in the snow. I had a small car, and I just wanted to get to Mancos!

During the time that I've been here I've seen quite a few things.

New businesses have come and gone, owners of existing businesses have changed and a slight shift in various buildings has occurred.

Events throughout Mancos, such as Mancos Days, Mardi Gras, Sugar Pine Ranch Rally and the Farmers Market, to name a few - have continued and become better every year. It's wonderful to see everyone get together for these events to visit and re-visit.

The school's sports teams have succeeded in going to the State Championships. Some years have been cross-country, volleyball or track. No matter what they do, though, it's always an exciting time!

The 50-year celebration of Mancos Days happened in 2009. The 100-year celebration of the Mancos High School was in 2010, as well as the 100-year anniversary of the Mancos Opera House. What remarkable milestones!

There have been some famous people come to the Mancos Opera House - Juni Fisher, Michael Martin Murphy, R. Carlos Nakai and Bruce Cockburn. The opera house has hosted innumerable events, too, many of which are fundraisers to help restore the structure itself.

I've seen all kinds of weather in my time here. Snow, rain, wind, heat, clouds and lots of sunshine! The fire last year was very scary and will hopefully be the closest we come to one here in Mancos! One thing you can expect from Colorado weather is that it's always changing. (I've been told that by more than one person whose been here longer than I have.)

I've met all kinds of people here, too, from those who have lived here all their lives to those who are just trying this town out to see how it fits. All have been friendly, most have been helpful and the folks here are a real cross-section of the country. Many have become my close friends. As a newspaper editor, even of a community weekly, I've learned that you can't please everyone!

I really never thought I'd live in a town this small, but I've found that I like it. I prefer it, actually, to living in a larger city. It's nice to be able to walk wherever I need to, to say hello to people that I know, and to see the kids get bigger and older as the years go by.

If there's one thing I've learned, though. Your happiness has very little to do with where you live and a whole lot to do with what's inside you.